Soft Water Fish

[H11Z3]

like with a heater i do have a heater in there and the soil is seachem fluorite black

 

[itiwhetu]

like with a heater i do have a heater in there and the soil is seachem fluorite black

I'm sorry I know nothing about that product, and assumed that if you were keeping Tropicals that you would have a heater to maintain a constant temperature

 

[H11Z3]

so do you use any soils and should i use soils?

 

[itiwhetu]

so do you use any soils and should i use soils?

I use peat under a fine gravel substrate, with this setup I maintained my Discus tank for ten years. The peat softens the water perfectly for Discus. It will largely depend on what you want to keep. If you look at the bottom left hand corner of photo you can see the peat

 

[H11Z3]

so is peat better than soil and does the peat have minerals and can i put sand on top of that? or could i stick with pea gravel and just put peat under it

and for fish im not sure i was thinking gourami's shrimp and some tetras but i dont know what else to add

 

[itiwhetu]

so is peat better than soil and does the peat have minerals and can i put sand on top of that? or could i stick with pea gravel and just put peat under it

I don't like sand I like fine gravel, this is because I like water movement through the substrate of my tanks. You can see the plant growth this was achieved with no fertilizers. Just a peat base and fish. I have been trying to find a color photo of the Discus in this tank but I don't seem to have one but here is a Black and White it will give you some idea.

 

[H11Z3]

anything like product to boost plant growth? and could pea gravel work or is to big?

 

[itiwhetu]

anything like product to boost plant growth? and could pea gravel work or is to big?

I have never used any Fertilizers, I believe that they may be detrimental to the fish so why use them when you can get good results without them. Pea size gravel I think would be better than sand, but I prefer something a little finer than that.

 

[H11Z3]

ok i like to use natural things so i can try and find some natural fine gravel and could i put corys with this gravel?

 

[itiwhetu]

ok i like to use natural things so i can try and find some natural fine gravel and could i put corys with this gravel?

No problems. This is where Temperature plays a part, For a tank with say Discus and Cardinal Tetras that would be to warm for Cory's. So then if you want Cory's you have a cooler tank and then a different group of fish, that like cooler temperatures.

 

[H11Z3]

i dont think ill go for discus at pretty as they are they are quite expensive and can be challenging to keep i think ill stick with my plan of getting gourami's shrimp and some tetras

 

[itiwhetu]

i dont think ill go for discus at pretty as they are they are quite expensive and can be challenging to keep i think ill stick with my plan of getting gourami's shrimp and some tetras

Good idea do that. I'm sure you will do just fine, you are asking all the right questions. Research Research is what this hobby is about.

 

[H11Z3]

Well here is my tank I do have my pleco in there but I do have spare tank for him

 

[itiwhetu]

View attachment 142021
Well here is my tank I do have my pleco in there but I do have spare tank for him

What a cool tank, this is going to look amazing planted out, how many liters is it. It looks huge

 

[H11Z3]

180ltr or 47 US gallons